Ex-NFL player's daughter guilty in pension fraud

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area woman has pleaded guilty to fraud after illegally collecting money from an NFL pension plan years after her father’s death.

Constance Helwig-Langlois (HEL’-wig LANG’-loy) is the daughter of John Helwig, who played defense for the Chicago Bears in the 1950s. He died in 1994, but pension checks kept coming until fall 2011.

The government says Helwig’s wife told the NFL retirement plan that he was still alive. When she died in 2007, their daughter kept the scheme going. Helwig-Langlois pleaded guilty Thursday.

The payments added up to more than $200,000 over 17 years. A message seeking comment was left with Helwig-Langlois’ attorney. The Waterford Township woman will return to federal court for her sentence on May 2.